Donald Trump has made an official nomination of EJ Antoni to serve as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Antoni is now the chief economist for the right-wing Heritage Foundation. Today’s announcement is a major down payment on that promise. Antoni, a former staff economist at the BLS and longtime critic of the agency, has for years warned that the agency’s data is unreliable and inaccurate.
In a recent press briefing, Trump specifically touted the nomination of Antoni. He underscored how important an independent Antoni would be in helping restore confidence in our community’s economic stats. He stated, “Our economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the numbers released are honest and accurate.” Trump’s confidence in Antoni underscores a broader goal to revamp the agency’s approach to labor statistics.
Regardless, Antoni has had much to say regarding troubling issues that plague the BLS. Previously, he notably sounded the alarm over changes to the agency’s jobs figures. His critiques emerge from a laudable desire for higher standards to be used for the collection, processing, and dissemination of economic information to the public. “There are better ways to collect, process, and disseminate data – that is the task for the next BLS commissioner, and only consistent delivery of accurate data in a timely manner will rebuild the trust that has been lost over the last several years,” Antoni stated.
Republican representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an appropriations subcommittee member who supports the nomination, raised the prospect of Antonni’s influence on economic reporting. She remarked that he would “provide the American people with fair and accurate economic data they can rely on.” This pronouncement is indicative of the increasing demand by some legislators for the increased transparency and integrity of the government’s statistical reporting.
Whatever the eventual outcome, Antoni’s nomination is already guaranteed to stimulate some spirited debate. Given his sharply critical perspective on the agency he would be expected to oversee, any such appointment raises huge political implications. His expected leadership will change how labor statistics are reported. Taken together, these changes would go a long way toward making Americans’ assessment of economic health much less misleading.